Knitted stocking



Oct. 17, 1961 J. J. MCDONOUGH KNITTED STOCKING 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 14, 1957 INVENTOR JOHQI J. MC DONOUGH d z ATTORNEY;

Oct. 17, 1961 J. J. M DONOUGH 3,004,418

KNITTED ,STOCKING Original Filed Jan. 14, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I06 w (-240) FIG. 2.

FIG. 3.

FIG. 4.

H4 INVENTOR.

JOHN J. MC DONOUGH [l6 BY 12o ATToRNEY Oct. 17, 1961 J. J. M DONOUGH 3,004,418

KNITTED STOCKING Original Filed Jan. 14, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q Q m w im Q i l l i ii igiviifiii iifiifi i a u FIG. 5.

INVENTOR. JOHN J. MC DONOUGH BY 7 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,004,418 KNITTED STOCKING John I. McDonough, Laconia, N.H., assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, Laconia, N.H., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application Jan. 14, 1957,"Ser. No. 633,931, new Patent No. 2,971,358, dated Feb. 14, 1961. Divided and this application Feb. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 717,166 Claims. (Cl. 66-187) This invention relates to a knitted stocking, and has particular reference to the proper formation of a loopers loose course in a stocking in which a toe is knit multifeed.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 633,931, filed January 14, 1957, now Patent No. 2,971,358 of February 14, 1961.

The multifeed knitting of stockings throughout, during both rotation and reciprocation, is advantageous because of the increased rate of production which results. Heretofore, when a two-feed toe was knit, knitting through the portion containing the loopers loose course was also effected at two feeds. "When looping such a stocking a serious problem has presented itself since the loopers loose course was necessarily made at only one feed, to define a single course of loose loops, and when the doubled fabric was placed on the looper points the adjacent stitches at one end which had to be on the same point were separated walewise by a stitch resulting in a defective looping.

In order to avoid this defect, in accordance with the present invention knitting is effected so that the machine knits at only one feed after the toe is completed in order that the loopers loose course may be formed in a normal manner and the stocking looped in conventional fashion. A difficulty arises, in that in passing from the two-feed knitting of the toe to the single feed knitting of the loose course provision must be made to close the eyelet resulting from removal of the feed. In the past, machines have been designed to remove extra feeds before the heel and toe and introduce them after the heel and at other desirable points in the stocking. However, when the toe is knit at two feeds many problems are encountered in successful transition.

In accordance with the invention the loose course is formed substantially in the second course following the toe, rather than in the adjacent course as is now general practice in conventional single feed machines. However, the position may be varied as required.

The improved stocking which results is also a part of the invention.

The objects of the invention relate to the attainment of the matters justrdiscussed and will be apparent from the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a developed inside view of the cams which act upon needles, intermediate jacks and pattern jacks, these last elements being illustrated at the right of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2 is a diagram illustrating the distribution of needle butts throughout the needle circle;

FIGURE '3 is a diagrammatic elevation showing a stocking provided in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a diagram similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the distribution of the jack butts; and

FIGURE 5 is a diagram illustrating the portion of a stocking at the location of removal of one of the two i being otherwise essentially conventional.

3,004,418 Patented Oct. 17, 1961 ject matter, the construction and operation of the machine In particular, the machine corresponds in general, with only minor deviations, to that illustrated and described in my prior Patent 2,576,962, dated December 4, 1951. As disclosed in this patent a two feed knitting machine serves to knit a stocking utilizing the two feeds throughout, the loopers loose course being formed during two feed knitting. The knitting procedure in accordance with the present invention is the same as described in said patent except for the matter relating to the proper transition from a two-feed toe to the single feed knitting of the loopers loose course. Reference may be made to this patent for details of the machine and its operation in knitting the other parts of a stocking.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the cylinder of a circular knitting machine is indicated at 2, there being mounted in slots in this cylinder in conventional fashion needles 4, intermediate jacks 6 and pattern jacks 8. The needles are provided with butts 10 which are of different lengths as will be described in detail hereafter. The intermediate jacks 6 are provided with butts 12 for cam operation thereof. The pattern jacks contain at the same level either short butts 14 or long butts 16 the distribution of which in conjunction with the needles will be later described. The pattern jacks contain the usual pattern butts '18 and otherwise are formed as is conventional and described in my prior patent. A shoulder 20 near the upper end of each pattern jack is involved in the novel operation about to be described. a

The right-hand feed of the machine is provided by the throat plate 22 with which are asociated the usual yarn feeding fingers, not shown. The left-hand feed is provided by the throat plate 24 which is also associated with conventional yarn feeding fingers. The level of the sinker ledges of the machine is indicated at 26.

Reading generally from the right to the left in FIG- URE 1 the cams, which will be recognized as generally similar to those of my prior patent, or at least obviously equivalently operating, include the switch cam 28 adjacent to which are the cams 30, 32 and 34 which, during the operations herein discussed, are withdrawn from operation. A cam 36 is arranged to raise needles to tuck height. A cam 38 acts both as a clearing cam in forward reciprocations and during rotary knitting and as a righthand-feed stitch cam during reverse reciprocatory strokes. A cam 40 in the full linepositionillustrated serves as a clearing cam but may be lowered to the dotted line position wherein it raises needles to tuck level. Needles are depressed during forward reciprocatory strokes and rotary knitting by the successive cams 42,

. 44 and 46 andare then raised during the same knitting feed yarns at the end of the toe and the formation of is herein shown ahd-discus'sedas is-pertinent to'this subby earns 50 and 52, the latter effecting clearing prior to approach to the left hand feed stitch cam 60. A cam 48 serves to raise needles at the right hand feed during reverse reciprocations, receiving the needles after they are depressed by the successive cams 54, 56 and 58. The stitch cam 60 provides clearing during reverse reciprocatory strokes. Cams 62, 64, and are provided and are radially movable. The cams 64 and 66 are inactive in the knitting described herein.

A lowering picker is provided at 68 and raising pickers are provided at 70 and 72;

A cam 74 is arranged to act on the butts 12 of intermediate jacks. A cam 76 having a pointed end 78 is provided to act upon the shoulders 20 of pattern jacks. A cam 80 serves to act onv butts 16 and a cam 82 acts upon butts 14 and 16 of the pattern jacks. The cam 80 is radially movable for purposes hereafter described.

Reference may now be made to FIGURE 2 which shows the distribution of needle butts about the needle circle, the needles which will be referred to as short butt 3. needles being those below the diameter indicated at 84 while the remaining needles are long butt needles. However, the needles of the twoseries do not have butts of uniformilen-gth, ,but: ratherthe. butts are distributed asillustratedin FIGURE 2 .the buttshaving the lengths indicatedtby the decimal-figures which areininches.

-Referring--to-the butts as they move in rotary knitting, theleadingwshort'butts at ;86 ha-ve 0.300 butts. This group isr-fol-lowed by the butts-indicated at 88 measuring 0.270, andwthese in turn are followed by the butts 90 measuring 0.240.- Theseare' in-succession followed by butts-of. the groups. 92 and 94 having the respective length 0.270:and 0.3.00;

Therfirst group 96=of long-butts measure 0.338. The neXtmsucceeding group 9&measure' 0.390. The central series =ltlw-oflong butts-measure 0.338. Thegroup indicatedrat dill-measures- 0.390 and' thetrailing group 104 measures 0.338. These figures are, of course, arbitrary and: maybe changed,- but'they serve to: indicate relative lengths which-are -in-vo lved in the operation.- The uses of the. various diiferentlength butts will in general be apparent from myprionpatent. In the case of the present inventiontheagrouprof primary; interest is that indicated=at 102. Particularly. involvedisthe association of pattern zjacksewiththeneedles havingthis group of butts. Therpattern-jacks: under: allbut several of the leading needlesaofathe group IMF-have short butts 14. In the case of=severalleading needles-ofthis group the first and the alternate: needles have associated with them jacks withr longtbutts' 16 while the intervening needles have as sociated withzthem .jacksihavingshort butts 14. The number of these": alternatingrjacksis.- open to considerable choice but it is generally desirable to haveatleast three orfounofithe long:butt jacks involved. As will appear later this arrangement, shown inaE-IGUREA, is particularly involveduimthe: closure of: the eyelet which would otherwise: result-:fr'om the transition from double feed'to single ifeed. knitting.

FIGURE 3.-diagrams:the stocking produced in accordancewithatheinvention: With the exception of the region at thezlloopers looseacoursei the stocking is conventional and may:takevariousrforms; In: situations in which the present invention' is involved', ;namely'in the caseof two feed toes; the stocking would; ordinarily be made: twofeed throughout or: with: the; exception solely of makeup courses.- Generally speakingritinvolves the welt 106, leg 1l'tl8, instep 1 10 shapedhigh' splice:112,. heel 114,

ing beneath it at the tuck level resulting from their rise over the cam 36. At the end of this stroke all of" the long butt needles will have passed the cam 36 while the needles of the short butt series will be located above the knitting cams, with the leading short butt needle during this reverse strokereaohingarpositionzshort of the cam 28.

As. thecylinder begins? to revolve; raisingcam 48 is withdrawn: The": long: butt needles-, having been= raised to tuck height by cam 36 on the last reverse: stroke; are now cleared by;-cam"38;,and are lowered bycarns' 42 rand 44,. taking yarn at the" right hand feed and knitting" as they pass down stitch cama 46. They, are "then'raised by cams 50 and 52'and tak'e yarn at'the left hand feed as they passdown. the stitchcam 60, thereby knitting a secondcourse. They arethen vraisedto tuck height by cam-61. Duringthis movement the intermediate jack cam 74-is withdrawn- As thecylinder continues to. rotate, the. short butt needles are lowered by switch carn 2.8.to follow. the knitting pathtakenby the long butt needles. However, while the needles of. the group 90.having,the 0.240 butts are passing abovecam-36 itqisfiwithdrawn, .and while they are being-,raisedbycam 3 8.. this .camalso iswit'hdrawn after which the remaining;short.buttsfeed directly, from the lower-endof camlfitovthe clearing. cam 40 which is in its .upper. position. However,.the. shortbutt needles had their latches. cleared. as they wereelevatedfor the formationofthe toe, and camwithusservesonly to elevate them before taking yarn .at .the right hand feed.

As thelong-butt needles .passth'e. lowering cam 62-it ismovedinwardly. to justmiss the.0.338 butts of the group 100 and as it lowers the group 102 of 0.390 butts itiis .movedfully inwardly. tocontinue lowering all' succeedingmeedles;

As-the long buttneedles again come around, the groups 96, .98and-z100 are-fed from .the cam. 61: at tuckheight, following the path-taken.by-thetshort butt needles through the knitting. cams, two-feed knitting-continuing by the raising-.5013 theseneedles over cam. 40 .to clearing height, followed by their passagethrough the. knitting cams at both feeds.

Before theleadingneedle of .the-group 102 reaches the positiorr-ofthejacktcamv80, this camismoved into sh-aped sole 11'6; and: toe-118; all.of which,.except the 'shapedhigh spliceand r'sole; may be:produced ;as described in-my+prior patent As'will-be evident'the invention is applicable-tostockings whichumay'ornit certain of the characteristics: of th'at illustratedlor. may have other: character'istiess Consistentlyiwith the-disclosureof my prior toe. It will be evident fromwhatfollows; however; that V V the invention -is equally applicableiin ihezknitting; of stockings in= Which I the looping iszelfectedzat the-top of e the toe, the'toe b'eingknit two-feed onthezsole needles: Erorn whatiwill be described:offthe operation; theachanges nec-. essary =to-produce this latter resultwill-he quite evident 'without' detailed additional description.

Since the knitting is conventionaldown to" thecompletion of" the toe, the=dscriptionzoftthe" operation may well begin with what occurs duringzthe' last reverse'stroke 'ofthe ncedle cylinder cornpletingathe.toec. At this time the removable cams 62, 64, 66,30; 34, 32;.2'8and- 80 are out ofactiongtheknitting'beingiorr: the: long butt series of needles; with theshor't zbutt needles riding high and 'in-aetive.

On the last==reverse= stroke of the: needles-cylinder com.-

pleting-the toe during which stroke two f.co11rses. 'a-re..pr0

an active position-to.- engage: the long. jack'. butts 16; T hereby-. the corresponding intermediate jacks 6 havetheir butts 12 raised abovesthe point 78 of, cam 76 and the first-and. several.succeeding leadingalternate needles of the group 102 .associatedwiththejacks havinglong butts 16 -areithus-raisedrtoiuckheight. The: other needles of thegroup 102-arenotso raisedandxonsequently pass at low Welt levelrtonwhichsthey-were.lowered by cam.62 so that they are'. first-raisedby .cam.50 cams .36-.and 48 having been withdrawn as previously described. The shoulders 7200f .the-.elevatedijacksengage .and are partial- 1y.- lowered .by cam: 76 anchare. completely,v lowered by the action-oftcam82 which .is imposition-to engageboth sets of butts 14 and 16 The elevatedaneedlesof magma-p.102 whiclihave thus beenraised to tuclciheight, by theajacks ,follow the. needles of the. group 111 the. clearing carat-40, but assoon. as the last needle of the group 1-00 has reached the-top of cam-40 and: :cleared-;its--.lat ch,,thecam. 40 is: lowered to tuck height and;sonsequentlnithough.afew of the alternate. raised needles sma-y clear.their-1atches,,the remainder of these needzlesapassvac. tuck height taking and. holding the yarn fed iatfthe right-handtfeed. Since the-intervening and all.succeedinganeedleswwere.lowered-by cam.62, they passt-under thezcarnAtl and-the righhhand feed so as to-miss thesya rngatathisfeed.v 'AlLOf the. needles. of the group 10? are.broughtatogetherat -cam .50. .As .this occurs the needles which have not-takenyarnat .the-right hand feed rise to. provide interlacinggandathen.all .of the needlesware. raised I first. by cam SlLto .its upper end. and thenby; camt52stoaclear and take :yarn anrlithen knit .at the; left 3 hand feedqtoform single i-feed fabric-z:

The trailing end of yarn from the right hand feed is, therefore, taken and tucked by several alternate needles while the intervening needles miss it completely, and as all needles are raised to meet at the left hand feed the end is interlaced and knit with the yarn fed at this feed forming a complete and eflfective eyelet closure, as shown at 121 in FIGURE 5. The yarn finger at the right hand feed is raised as soon as the last needle has taken yarn and the inactive yarn is then clamped and cut by the conventional clamp and cutter.

Soon after the pattern jacks have been raised by cam 80 and their inter-mediate jacks have passed the cam 74, the former is withdrawn, and the latter is introduced in readiness for the selective clearing of needles as may be later required.

Just prior to the time the first needle of the group 96 reaches the bottom of stitch cam 60, this cam is lowered to start the loopers loose course 120, and it remains in lowered position for slightly more than one revolution of the needle cylinder, when it is raised to its original position after having completed the loose course entirely in single feed fabric. It will be noted that each stitch 120 of the loose course is looped at both of its walewise ends with stitches of the same yarn. If desired, the loose course may be delayed 180, being started on the leading needle of the group 86 or further delayed if required. After a few waste courses 123 of single feed fabric, following the loose course, are knit, the machine may again return to two feed knitting as follows:

The yarn finger at the right hand feed may be lowered, placing the yarn in position to be taken by the first needle elevated to knit atthis feed. Cam 62 may be moved partially out during passage of the last of the long butt needles so as to miss the short butt needles of the grup 90, and while they are passing, it may be fully withdrawn, so that the first needle of the group 90 and succeeding needles will approach stitch cam 46 at tuck height, thus failing to take yarn at the right hand feed. At the point where two feed knitting is to begin cam 81 is moved into action to rock out the lower ends of jacks 8 causing their butts 85 to engage and be elevated by cam 83, their corresponding needles being raised to clear height as jacks 6 are raised by cam 74. The leading cleared needle will then seize the waiting yarn at the right hand feed which will be taken and knit by all succeeding needles. An eyelet formed when the right hand is thus introduced is of no consequence as the fabric is ravelled or cut oil and discarded when the stocking is looped.

If, on the other hand, it is desired to continue single feed knitting until the completed stocking is released from the needles by press-01f, the yarn finger at the right hand feed would not then be lowered nor would cam 81 be operated to rock out jacks 8.

The various cams are moved in and out under the usual pattern control in conventional fashion and as will be evident from the disclosure of my prior patent, so that the operating connections for the movable cams need not be shown or described.

It will be evident that in accordance with the foregoing a loopers course is provided by single feed knitting following the completion of a toe 118 which is knit multifeed, with avoidance of an eyelet by reason of the interlacing of the trailing end of the removed yarn. It will be obvious that various details of the invention may be varied without departing therefrom as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A circular knit stocking comprising a multifeed reciprocatorily knit toe followed by rotary knit single feed courses, with the trailing end of a yarn removed at the completion of the toe incorporated into the knit fabric to eliminate eyelet formation.

2. A circular knit stocking comprising a multifeed reciprocatorily knit toe followed by rotary knit single feed courses, with the trailing end of a yarn removed at the completion of the toe incorporated by interlacing into the knit fabric to eliminate eyelet formation.

3. A circular knit stocking comprising a multifeed reciprocatorily knit toe followed by a rotary knit single feed loopers course comprising stitches each of which is looped at at least one of its walewise ends with another of the same yarn.

4. A circular knit stocking comprising a multifeed reciprocatorily knit toe followed by a rotary knit single feed loopers course comprising stitches each of which is looped at at least one of its walewise ends with another of the same yarn, with the trailing end of a yarn removed at the completion of the toe incorporated into the knit fabric to eliminate eyelet formation. 7

5. A circular knit stocking comprising a multifeed reciprocatorily knit toe followed by a rotary knit single feed loopers course comprising stitches each of which is looped at at least one of its 'walewise ends with another of the same yarn, with the trailing end of a yarn removed at the completion of the toe incorporated by interlacing into the knit fabric to eliminate eyelet formation.

Lawson July 12, 1949 St. Pierre May 1, 1951 

